----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 23:58:02 -0700
From: rimshot3@ix.netcom.com (ERIC ROSEN)
Subject: Extatic CD's
Hello Everyone!!
Just joined the Chalkhills community and really appreciate that we XT
Seers have a forum.
Looking through the Archives, I noticed 5 CD's whose label is listed
as Extatic. Does anyone know how these CD's can be obtained? I have
most of this material on tape but I was recently crestfallen to find
how much tape quality can erode over a couple of years. Any help in
this regard would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone know the status of the bubblegum LP? Is it permanently
shelved? Are there any tapes of this material making the rounds? I'd
like to swap dupes of rare XTC recordings if there are any takers.
The same would apply to any of the forthcoming XTC material.
As for the great Nonsuch debate, here's my $0.03 worth. Like most XTC
extended albums, it has 3 or 4 songs which are a cut below the rest
and would be great for some other group. In this case they are:
i. Bungalow: Mattacks' song ending fill is cool but the
song feels so bloated.
ii. The Disappointed: Great melody, excellent guitar work but
ultimately sappy pop like "... Supergirl."
iii. Omnibus: Great rhythmic qualities, superb lyrics but
the happy emotion seems labored.
iv. Smartest Monkeys: like Roger Waters' solo stuff, i.e., the
lyrics dominate so as to obscure all other
aspects of the music.
Let me make clear that the rest of this album is as good as anything else
they've ever done. "My Bird Performs," "Then She Appeared," "Humble
Daisy," "Books are Burning," "The Ugly Underneath," & "Crocodile" are
favorites round here. What mystifies me is how songs like "Car Out of
Control," "It Didn't Hurt a Bit," "Where Do the Ordinary People Go?,"
"Goosey Goosey" and "Down a Peg" never made it on.
Anyway, I'm sure there's plenty of disagreement with the foregoing. /:D

------------------------------
From: loopy2@enternet.com.au
Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 23:13:52 +1000
Subject: PP/JFK and stuff
Hi Chalksters
Just wanted to put something in about the PP/JFK thread thats been bubbling
away over the last few mailings.
I'm quoting from 'Guitar Player' magazine, 25th Anniversary issue, June 1992.
"XTC - the reluctant Gods of smart pop"
GP - "Who is the song 'The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" about?"
AP - "People can put to it what they want, but it's really about a pumpkin.
I carved a lantern for my kids on Halloween. When Halloween was over
I didn't have the nerve to throw it in the bin, so I took it in the
backyard and stuck it onto a fence post. The weeks went by and it
rotted, and every day I'd walk past it to go down to the shed at the
bottom of the garden where I compose, and I started feeling sorry for
this pumpkin. I thought, 'I'm going to make him the hero of this
song.' He only had a very brief life. He went a gray-green fluffy
fur colour and collapsed in on himself. A bit like me, really."
GP - "Does the song also come out of a feeling for what happens to people who
fight for truth?"
AP - "People who fight for truth never win because nobody wants to know the
truth. It's too powerful. We can't know the truth, so we make up
everything else instead. We live out these various lies through
everything, whether it be religion or politics. And too many people
get "belief" mixed up with "truth". It's a protection device. It's
also to look for a reason for being here in the first place - which I
don't think there is. Mankind thinks it's been put here for some
reason. My own untruth/truth, my own belief, is that we have no
purpose, that there's no reason why we are this shape. It's man's
arrogance that has invented God and the Devil that looks like him. I
think we should have some basic human rules. One of them is don't
hurt other people, because they're only having their one chance like
you. So have fun and give other people fun along the way. But all
this "God" and "our special purpose" - come on. Wake up.
Thomas Slack writes:-
>So many of XTC's songs seem to be almost defined by
>a tasty guitar lick that I'm wondering - how many of these are written as
>part of the song as opposed to coming up with the riffs during arrangement?
From the same article:-
GP - "What gives birth to your songs? A riff or a chord?"
AP - "Riffs are usually found to fit into a song at some point. Songs grow
from a chord that you hit and think, "Hell, that chord sounds just like
a...wet afternoon - that's such a rainy chord." And then your brain
starts spewing out rainy afternoon stuff and you start looking for the
chords that illustrate the words that have just fallen out. Raindrops!
Whoah rain! Aaaaah! Then it all comes out. It's like vomiting.
Once you know it's on it's way, there's nothing you can do to stop it."
Well that just about says it all don't it? Sorry there's not much of me in
this posting, but I guess that AP himself is a fair substitute. Gotta go
now - Star Trek (the original) is on TV
Let the Rock rock in your soul
See ya - Colin Wright ('Straylya)
P.S. - AP insists that the Dukes of S. have fuzzed out to that great crash
pad in the sky: "They died in a bizarre cooking accident. We whisked
them to death."

------------------------------
From: JohnL16506@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 09:27:52 -0400
Subject: The sound of Skylarking
In Chalkhills 435, bk985@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Craig A. Marciniak) writes:
>When I did a comparsion between the Geffen CD and the gold disc, there
>was no difference at all between the two. When I did the comparsion
>between the LP and gold disc, the gold disc was lacking in both the high
>end and low end. Needless to say, after shelling $30 for this disc, I
>was very upset.
I've found it rather odd that they chose "Skylarking" as the album to make
a hi-fidelity reissue. As I believe I have said in the past, this is one
of the worst-sounding XTC records ever made. Unfortunately, it is also,
musically, my favorite.
I have both the LP (American release) and Geffen CD, and the LP, probably
due to poor mastering, sound extremely grainy and harsh. The CD sound is
similar, but is missing the upper midrange grind of LP.
Most of the sonic problem, however, seems to be with the fact that Todd
Rundgren was the engineer. His musical brilliance is unquestionable, his
engineering skills horribly lacking. I have read interviews about his
working habits, and he tend to go for the "quick and dirty" approach: throw
microphones up, record it, if it is reasonably correct, move on, and fix it
all later.
This works on some of the instrumentation on Skylarking. For instance, the
drums really stand out, due to their open, ringing tuning (as well as the
talent of Prarie Prince), and on some songs, large amounts of equilization.
On the other hand, the strings are really screechy, fingernails on the
blackboard style.
Luckily, the album is so outstanding, I usually don't even notice. When I
do, however, I wince heavily.
John Lisiecki

------------------------------
From: RCroz75755@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 15:23:17 -0400
Subject: Wesley Wilson
Back in Issue # 433, Mr. Wilson had mentioned the band "Weezer" in
comparison to XTC. "Weezer", I believe, is from California and their debut
album (self titled) was produced by Ric Ocasek of "The Cars" fame. Although
their songs are melodic and catchy, they by no means can be compared to the
genius of any songs written by either AP or CM! Don't get me wrong, it is a
very good effort for their debut album, it has a harder edge than XTC but
it's still worth checking out.

------------------------------
From: AngryYngMn@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 17:09:04 -0400
Subject: Random thoughts...
1) Peter Pumpkinhead...I must say that I am kinda moved about this whole
thread. I just innocently injected my $.02 in this forum for opinions, and
I had *NEVER SEEN THE VIDEO!!!* That's right, the Peter Pumpkinhead video
was never caught by my eyes on any medium of broadcast. SO, what I am
trying (unsuccesfully) to say is that Peter Pumpkinhead IMMEDIATELY evoked
ideas of JFK when I went into detail looking at the lyrics and stuff.
Anyone that thinks PP has to do with JC -- great! This is a free country!
(uh...this is international...let's think of a broader metaphor.) I do
think that there are possible parallels, but I think JFK was the more
current representation of a person who tried to do good and got killed in
the process. Whoever said that the video came after, you're half right.
Videos are made after the song is recorded, but they take on the idea of
what the message of the song might be. In this case, if what everyone's
saying is true, Andy thought PP in the vid should be reprented by a
JFK-like person. With Stigmata. There. 'nuff said.]
2) Chalkhillbillies...I kinda like that, considering it mentions xtc and
billy (joel), the group and artist I can't ever get tired of. :) Great job.
3) XTC Video compilation...I'd contribute if I had any...but hopefully
people could contribute so that us uneducated vid-freaks could hop on the
bandwagon.
's All for now...

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 09:18:08 -0400
From: as40@cornell.edu (sash)
Subject: From Andy's Mouth, our living Martyr
Been on the list for a while, but this is the first time I've replied
to anything. I think I may have the answer to this Punpkinhead
Controversy (and forgive me if I'm rehashing something that's already
been stated). I recall, soon after the release of Nonsuch, an MTV
interview with Andy (Looked as if it was outside Andy's house, but I
can't be sure) Besides the obvious "When are you guys going to tour
again?" and "What does Nonsuch really mean?" questions, the
interviewer (May have been Kurt Loder) asked about the inspiration of
Peter. Andy replied (and I'm paraphrasing cause it was so long ago)
that it was a song about Martyrs. As for which Martyr was been sung
about in Pumpkinhead, Andy said it was about whichever Martyr you
wanted it to be.
Sash

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 May 95 13:45:09 +0100
From: John Nicholls <nicholls@case.co.uk>
Subject: XTC 'Net Interview 005 - XTC drummers, Terry Chambers, George Michael.
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Apologies for keeping you waiting yet again. I've really done it this time
- I've resigned, and my company now have me shackled to a large and bizarre
contraption for sucking out the contents of my brain. These will be placed
into a sealed jar and given to my replacement to consume. Meanwhile, I
will be entering the cut-throat world of contracting; I've been setting up
a company, employing accountants, etc etc.
I presently only have access to the 'Net through work, so I don't know when
I will be able to continue to receive and contribute to _Chalkhills_. I
hope to get a PC and 'Net link at home, but this won't be for a couple of
months.
This will therefore be the last Greggers contribution for a while. There's
not much more in any case, but I want to send you Dave's comments on Boston
and it's music scene (he likes it). If I can, I'll do this next week.
Until the home computer has me on the run...
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: m.mccormick2@genie.geis.com
For me, there has been a musical hole in the band ever since Terry flew
south and was never replaced by a permanent drummer. Worse yet, I now hear
Andy saying he wants to de-emphasize drums even more on your next album.
Is there any hope for a drummer in XTC ever again? Or does the future
instead look Wires and Drumless? Doesn't anyone in the band miss having a
"real drummer"?
------------
DG: It wasn't Terry's departure that created a hole, it was the fact that
we stopped touring and functioning as a band, and like I said before I've
no complaint about any of the drummers we've used, I don't think there's a
percussive "hole". Possibly _Mummer_ is a little "drum light" because we
decided to tip everything on its head and go completely in the opposite
direction to the way _English Settlement_ had gone. Since Terry had left
we thought well, let's really change then, let's do everything differently.
That record really has a percussive de-emphasis, let's say. But I don't
think you could accuse any of the tracks on _Nonsuch_ as being flawed in
the drum department at all, even _Skylarking_, they were all great
drummers. It's just that some of the songs Andy wrote - one was _Knights
in Shining Karma_, the other was _Easter Theatre_, and another called
_River of Orchids_, none of them had drums on them.
JP: This is from the new album?
DG: Yeah, so it was just sort of "I'm using pizzicato strings, I'm using
acoustic guitars, and stuff like this so there's no need for any drums at
the moment", but he's since written some new things that do have drums on
them. The demos he's done, most of the tracks do have drums. I don't
think there's any chance we'll do a completely drum-less record. It would
be the commercial kiss of death if we did, anyway.
What I miss really is the fact we're not really a band, we're this
msuic-making unit that goes into the studio once every couple of years and
makes a record, record the songs. And if that's as good as it gets then
fair enough, I'm happy with that, it could be a lot better, but it could be
worse. Now, you see, we haven't got a record deal.
JP: Oh yeah! Tell us a bit about that.
DG: Well, to clear up any misunderstanding we haven't been dropped by
Virgin, we decided to leave the company because they've been behaving -
well in our view - dishonourably and it's become a point of principle now.
We could have carried on making records under the existing terms of our
contract, but we were so frustrated with our lot that we've decided enough
is enough and we've decided to try our luck elsewhere. "Irrenconcileable
differences" are the reason that we've left Virgin.
It looked for a time early last year that they were going to help us out
and improve the terms of our deal, but then George Michael lost his case
and they just lost all interest in dealing with us from that point on. I
think every record company in the country was shitting themselves as to the
outcome of that case and wondering how they were going to re-jig
everybodies contract if he won his case, which is why Virgin appeared to be
co-operating. But it didn't come through, and we are now officially off
the label. We are now looking for another benefactor, we've taken on a
manager to help us around some of the more tricky areas, a guy called Paul
Bailey who's managing Echobelly at the moment, he did a couple of tours
with us in the 80s so he's not an unknown factor.
[We started talking about Terry Chambers]
JP: There was a picture of him in Chalkhills looking very tanned.
Dg: And very chunky as well. He turned into this little block of muscle.
And went a bit grey, but he's basically the same.
JP: Did he make a lot of money out of Dragon?
DG: No. He toured with them for a couple of years. I don't actually know
how much money he made, I didn't ask him! The band weren't together for
very long, you know, I think he was only with them for about 18 months.
JP: I'd love to know a little more about that ..
DG: Well he was torn - he'd fallen in love with this girl and wanted to
marry her, originally they were going to live in England. So they bought
this tiny little house on a new development out in Stratton, which she
didn't like at all. Not surprisingly, because in Australia cramped living
conditions are not a normal fact of life. So when Andy wigged out in 82
and decided he wasn't going to tour anymore Terry said "That's it, I'm
off". So he went back to Australia and married the girl who was by now
pregnant.
JP: Not even taking the drums, which seems strange for a musician. Because
he was really into the drums..
DG: Well, I think he found another priority. This happens a lot,
particularly where women are involved, because a lot of guys are just in
bands to attract women, and once they've found the woman they want to be
with, that's the job done.
JP: Is he still with Donna?
DG: Oh yes, they've got three kids.
JP: Well fair play to him.
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright JP Nicholls, May 1995.
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------
JP Nicholls ###################### nicholls@cray-communications.co.uk
#####################################################################

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 08:24:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Eric Muller <EMuller@UWYO.EDU>
Subject: XTC meeting in Seattle?
Skylarkers-
In the last digest, Lynn reported seeing signs and arrows bearing the
letters "XTC" in a park in Seattle last summer, and wondered whether these
were announcing a fan group meeting.
Come now, children of the chalkhills! We are surely overestimating our
numbers and influence!
Couldn't these signs and arrows have just been leading the way to a
picnic sponsored by the Xylophone Tuning Commission? The Xenophobic's
Tourism Council?
Eric
"Life's like a jigsaw:
You get the straight bits,
But there's something missing in the middle . . ."

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 10:50:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Wesley David Shaw <shawwd@whitman.edu>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #436
Fellow Chalkheads-
I'm afraid I didn't get any replies from my last effort at
tracking down a copy of the Andy Partrdige Hello release, but I thought
I'd give it one last try. If anybody out there knows how to obtain the
aforementioned CD without purchasing the whole Hello set please message
me personally and I'll post any responses.
thank you, and good night.
-W.

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 18:47:13 -0500
From: Alex.Stein@turner.com (Alex Stein)
Subject: In Praise of IN LOVING MEMORY
Guess I should come clean and admit this is my favorite XTC song of all.
Always loved it without really listening to it or trying to figure out what
it meant.
Then had an odd experience of visiting Europe and walking in the footsteps
of a relative who died in WWII. When I came back I listened again and it
resonated more for my especially the part about the sermons "still echo
round these churchyard walls."
> Another fine, underrated work by our man Moulding.
Couldn't agree more.
Alex

------------------------------
From: adkoning@hvsag01.att.com (Andre de Koning)
Date: Fri, 12 May 95 15:35:04 +0200
Subject: Religious Experiences
John Neil wrote:
>
>Christopher Thompson wrote:
>
>>Anyone else ever have a religious experience listening to XTC?
>
>Yes! I was in Boston waiting for the T (subway) train to come
>at a station right around the Boston Garden (above ground).
Right, trains! I was walking into the Naarden-Bussum railway station and
had 'Chalkhills and Children' playing. Right when I walked through the
doors the song went into the 'quiet bit' (the bit where the vocals
suddenly stop: 'Still I'm getting higher, rolling up on three empty
tyres, 'til the...'). It was an absolutely perfect moment: the change
in music combined with the going from outside to inside... the echoing
background noises in the hall... the late afternoon sun shining inside
through the windows. 'twas a pity I had to keep walking to catch my
train (I understand they do a better job here than in Boston :-)
Andre

------------------------------
Date: Fri, 12 May 1995 14:23:31 EDT
From: VAVZ69A@prodigy.com (MR BROOKS B HOCKING)
Subject: BACK ON LINE
It's been a while, since I was on line. Can someone fill me
in on the status of the band, the status of a new album,
etc...
Thanks,
Brooks Hocking
Wallingford, CT

------------------------------
From: xtc@mindspring.com
Date: Sun, 14 May 1995 20:29:01 -0500
Subject: Re: the Missing Stuff in GO2
On the original LP copies of the album, there was a little gatefold poster
which included the band mugs, and if you held the poster just right, you
could read the rest of the words as if there were not break. Like they put
the words on the poster AND the back of the album, by accident. And it was
cleverly used to put the Album Catalogue number on the inner sleeve, as was
the habit in those days.
Sorry this is so late. I'm catching up on old stuff these days.

------------------------------
From: DFerg@aol.com
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 07:08:03 -0400
Subject: Re: Partridge's solo work
> From: Wesley David Shaw <shawwd@whitman.edu>
>
> I was stoked with the news that Andy's solo stuff was released on Hello?
> records, and I called 'em up the next day, and a few weeks later a order
> form arrived at my apartment. I was not so stoked to find that it seems
> one has to order a whole package ($42?!?) to get the one Partridge CD. Is
> this a misunderstanding? Is is possible to acquire the CD by some other
> means? Anyone?
Wez,
I know just what you mean. I *did* order all the Hello discs for $42, and
*got* the A. Partridge disc, as you may have read about my comments here on
this list a few weeks ago.
Although I liked the songs on the disc, even the ones I had before, I was
hoping to regain some of my original investment in the series by offer to
trade tape dubs of it to members who contact me *privately*. I have a wish
list and usually put together a song anthology to fill the tape, as Hello is
about 20 minutes long.
I am especially interested in trading for the demo CD series that was just
released, but I am diverse in my music when trading.
dferg @aol.com (I may *send* mail through other gateways,
but receive it on AOL;)
Dave Ferguson
PS I know Andre has contacted me about this, but your email bounces back to
me!
boiiiinnng!!

------------------------------
Date: 15 May 1995 14:47:20 U
From: "Bob Sherwood" <Bob_Sherwood@cpqm.saic.com>
Subject: Spelvin McNickelbagger Must
5/15/95 9:12 BC
Hillistines: My son Bob wanted me to tell you that he feels the
deepest remorse for his poor judgement and general insensitivity regarding
his "Defending Our Honor" post in Chalkhills # something-or-other (the sky
is bright orange; gravity pulls you up). He finds it hard, in retrospect,
to come to terms with this horrible, thoughtless action (Partridge hates
the Beach Boys; "Bungalow" won a Grammy). If he could but undo this
heinous deed he tells me that he would surely do so, and rest easier for it
("Mayor of Simpleton" is about unrest in the Mideast; Colin Moulding is
from Belchertown, Massachusetts and wrestles in the WWF).
Suffice it to say that in the future Bob promises to keep his wits
about him and his cowardly actions to himself (pigs rule the universe;
chickens wear lip gloss and spout inane soliliquies on the virtues of
dadaism from the yolky confines of their cages).
Oh- and speaking of a little peckin' 'n' crowin', birdies, to the
neurotic wet who sent Bob a _personal_ e-mail to shrilly chastise him for
his unconsion-something-or-other-able actions- thank you, dear boy. Deer
boy. Watch out for them headlights, Deer Boy. Hee hee. Dear Heart,
that's what I'll call you, sweetie. Not only have you made him see the
error of my (I mean _his_) ways, Dearheart, but your chirpy, chiding,
motherly, unctuous tone brought his childhood back to him in all its glory.
He says to tell you thanks for the stripe-shirt, spankie-bottom,
no-swimming-till-a-half-hour-after-peanut-butter-sammies-hand-in-the-
cookie-jar memories, Auntie Whatever-the-fuck-yer-name-is. Started with a
"D" or somethin'. He certainly can't recall. He says that particular
message went kill-file so fast he couldn't see for the blur. He's awfully
sensitive, my Bob is. He says to tell you "he'll see ya at the big Yanni
At Red Rocks concert in the sky." He says to tell you he'll be the guy
backstage saving the afterlife from the doldrums with a big-ass pair of
wire-cutters. He says to tell you he pictures you fondly with one of those
crummy Bolton haircuts and somewhat of a harelip.
Sandals, maybe (that boy will NEVER wear that doggone pair of perfectly
good sandals I gave him on his birthday). But definitely a THINK GLOBALLY
ACT LOCALLY sticker on the front of the li'l notebook where you keep your
list of politically correct URLs. Dearheart. Hitler. Idi. Pope John
Paul the Eighth. St. Francis of the Cheese Brained Auntie D-somethings.
Dearheart. He also wishes that I inform Mr. Pumpkin McNothingbugger that
he is neither a fan _nor_ a fanatic, but rather a fairly garden-variety
_ceiling_ fan, the kind that goes "wudda-wudda-wudda" in old movies. The
kind they use to slice lamb for Gyros sandwiches in shall-remain-unnamed
portions of this wacky globe. But I digress.
To everyone else at Chalkhills, Bob wishes simply to say, "Fun and
Fruit". You boys and girls have made an immense and positive change for
the better in Bob's life. He says to "post hard, post fast, Praise Andy
and listen to '25 O'clock' on as many psychoactives as you deem appropriate
for that particular endevour. And don't be scared of the red ones. They
have vitamin C as well as strychnine" (that boy has the _devil_ in him, I
declare).
God is there to be seen if you know the right glasses to put on, Bob says.
Bob also wanted me to pass this on from him- "Elvis Knickerbocker-
brooms is for sweepin', daddy-o. Everything in its place, so to speak.
E-mail me sometime, Spelv- I've got a couple of phone numbers you might
want to keep on file- Justice League of America and speech therapists and
stuff. And _wash_ that uniform, for God's sake. The _Wehrmacht_ wasn't
built on crummy hygiene.
And the bowtie clashes unforgiveably."
I must say, personally (and please don't tell Bob I said this), I'm
darned glad he's got upstanding young fellows like you for role models (and
_I_ think your hairstyle is _just peachy_, Pelvis Baconburger).
Achtung!
Mrs. Sherwood, Esq.
P.S. And may I personally take this moment to say that _my_ favorite XTC
song happens to be "Happy Families". Also, "No Thugs In Our House" is a
shit-kicker to the Nth degree (but you certainly didn't hear that from me).
P.P.S. And would someone please tell me why my ceiling fan of a son
_insists_ on constantly standing up naked and _grinning_, for heaven's
sake?
Special
Announcement

------------------------------
From: FINB@aol.com
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 23:44:00 -0400
Subject: Re: Vnbelievably Diftreffed!
The hi- hat's not out of time, ya knucklhed! It's in 3's while the rest of
the parts go straight 4's... or - you could call it a shuffle hi-hat part
with the "ands" missing kinda. If you watch the 1 of the four-time and the 3
of the four time - you'll notice that the hi-hat is right on at these times -
that's the common beat denominator if you will. If the drummer played 1/8
note triplets and left his right hand out of the picture, this is what the
result would be.
These kinds of rythm syncopation bits are common with these guys, and it's
not a drummer thang either, 'cause even the programmed parts have it from
time to time.

------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 21:31:27 -0700
From: John Relph <relph>
Subject: The Laughing Web
"Knut S. Helstad" <foa95ksh@hib.no> writes:
>
> You can check out 'some' XTC related stuff on this address
> http://www.tvnorge.no:80/~jorgen/html/plater/
It's a good thing you put 'some' in quotes, because really, there's
not a whole lot to be seen. Basically it's one picture.
> Have you got info on any other XTC related home pages?
In your introductory message to Chalkhills you should have seen the
URL for the Chalkhills home page:
http://chalkhills.org/
There's also Beatown:
http://www.charm.net/~duke/xtc/beatown.html
And if you read the Chalkhills page there are a few other pointers.
Macguf8544@aol.com writes:
>
>I have just picked up The Laughing Man by David Yazbek.What a great cd.Andy
>Partridge plays guitars and vocals on some tracts. The writing is very
>similar to andys and the production too.Any xtc fan would be foolish not to
>pick this up .Its that great xtc soundddddd.
You may have trouble reading the above paragraph because of the lack
of white space, but I agree with Mr Macguf8544. _The Laughing Man_ is
a great pop album, with some good twisty melodies and interesting
production. I picked it up in England so it's definitely on the
shelves there. Don't know if it's still available in the U.S.
-- John